Technical Information

Developer: Awfully Nice Studios
Distributor: Awfully Nice Studios
Release Date: January 19, 2016

Harry has a single mission: eliminate all the aliens infesting his ship and protect the scientists at any cost!
The Bug Butcher is a frantic reinterpretation of the classic Super Pang.

Final Considerations – Analyzing the Work as a Whole

Graphics and UI

The art and animations are well made, with bright, contrasting colors.
The environments are particularly noteworthy, they’re well detailed and create a strong sense of depth.

I found the menu options and upgrade screen easy to understand, but I had trouble navigating with the controller. You use directional inputs to move between screens, but even when pressing the correct button, it sometimes feels like the selection gets stuck and doesn’t take you to the desired section. Maybe it’s due to the alignment of the elements on the screen, I’m not sure.

This part is much more user-friendly when using a mouse, since you can simply move the cursor and click on the desired option.

Soundtrack and Sound Effects

The music is very charismatic, but I found the sound effects even more striking. Perhaps because dying happens quite frequently, the protagonist’s voice ended up stuck in my head.

Gameplay

When Game Pass arrived in Brazil, this was one of the first games I decided to try… and I ended up loving it!
I played it a lot back then, but I didn’t finish it because I eventually put it aside and it left the Game Pass catalog.
Five years later (!!!), I remembered it, added it to my Steam wishlist, and when the first sale came along, I didn’t hesitate to buy it.

The Bug Butcher has three game modes: Arcade, Panic, and Co-op.

Arcade mode is the story mode. It’s divided into six stages, each containing six stages.
In this mode, you accumulate coins to buy upgrades for your gun and outfit.
You can also choose between three difficulty levels: Easy, Medium, and Hard.
I beat it on Medium about two hours ago.

Panic mode is also divided into six stages, but without stages. It’s an endless mode where, besides killing aliens, you must collect clocks that add more time to keep playing. When your life or time runs out, the game ends.

Finally, there’s Co-op mode, which works exactly like Panic mode, but for two players (and I have to admit that, until writing this review, I hadn’t tested it).

I think this game is extremely addictive, I always find myself torn between trying to get the best score or just completing the levels! hahahaha
It’s a simple game with solid gameplay. Even though it’s a bit old, it’s still fun because it’s so frantic.
It works well for both casual and hardcore players.

Replayability and Game Retention

I remember that in 2017, when I played it on Xbox One, I found it much harder than I do now.
Once you get some practice, you quickly outgrow Medium difficulty and move on to Hard to chase higher scores.
You die and immediately want to try again. It’s addictive and challenging at the same time, without creating that feeling of obligation to keep playing just to finish the game.

It has achievements, which further increase your desire to continue playing.
However, Panic mode alone makes this game endlessly replayable.